PITTSBURGH — Owen Pickering looked down at his phone and froze.

Despite having plenty of confidence and a naturally outgoing personality, Pickering really hadn't prepared for this moment — getting a text message from Sidney Crosby shortly after he was drafted in 2022.

Crosby normally goes old school in these settings, opting for a phone call over tapping out a couple lines of text, but he explained that he was at a wedding and doing the best that he could given the circumstances.

Yes, the Penguins captain was apparently welcoming younger players to the organization when he could've or should've been eating, drinking and dancing.

"That was probably one of the craziest moments of my life," Pickering said Saturday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. "I was staring at my phone, not sure how to respond. My roommate [Corey Andonovski] and I wondered whether I should say 'Mr. Crosby' or 'Sir Crosby.' He's everybody's idol in Canada."

The process of chatting with Crosby for the first time, and ultimately getting to know him, was something I found myself asking Penguins prospects about on Day 1 of development camp.

It produced some fun answers.

It's also a wild concept.

Not only have these guys grown up in a world where Sidney Crosby was always front and center in the NHL, mostly as the league's best player, five guys were born after Sid made his debut.

Tanner Howe, a second-round pick last month, is among that group. An assertive and competitive forward with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, Howe arrived early for development camp and worked out with Crosby.

Howe said Crosby approached him in the weight room and introduced himself. Like Howe didn't know.

"I was like, 'Yeah, I'm Tanner,'" Howe said, laughing. "But it's pretty cool. He's someone I've looked up to. It's an honor to watch him and be a sponge around him."

It was a similar story for Harrison Brunicke at this year's draft, with he and Howe hearing from Crosby inside the Sphere.

Brunicke, too, has long loved how Crosby prepares himself both mentally and physically and insisted he wasn't that awestruck when he heard Crosby's voice on the other end of the phone.

But he also refuses to chalk it up as any other call.

"Any time you can have a call with a guy like that, it's pretty special," Brunicke said. "You try not to take it for granted. You listen to what he has to say."

The most impressive part remains Crosby's production, with this past season representing his third time tallying 40 or more goals — Sid had 42 — and the first such campaign since 2016-17.

Crosby has produced 94 and 93 points the past two seasons, respectively, while continuing to play a strong two-way game, one highlighted by someone of the NHL's best faceoff numbers.

"He was my childhood hero," 2023 first-rounder Brayden Yager said of Crosby. "Watching him growing up and trying to be like him, he's one of the best players to ever play."

What Sid represents to the younger group here might be best expressed by what Isaac Belliveau, a fifth-round draft choice in 2021, had to say.

The Fleurimont, Quebec City, native actually did a presentation on Crosby in elementary school. Belliveau also played junior hockey for Rimouski, the same QMJHL outfit as Crosby, and was there the night the latter's jersey was retired.

While Belliveau admitted he was nervous to chat up Crosby, that changed quickly once the conversation started.

"He just a normal guy," Belliveau said.

It was the same way for Zam Plante, a fifth-round choice 2022. Although Plante grew up in Minnesota and actually FaceTimed with Jake Guentzel on his draft night, he's well-aware of what Guentzel's previous pivot represents.

The legacy. The longevity. The leadership. And how Crosby continues to age like a fine wine.

"I like to watch a lot of Penguins games now," Plante said. "To see how well he carries himself ... he's always the hardest working guy on the ice. I don't think anyone ever out-competes him.

"Watching him do that when ... I don't want to say he's old, but older than a lot of the players in the league, it's unbelievable."

Don't call Crosby old, Zam. But you can say hello to him.

Plante told me a story of walking around the Penguins' Cranberry facility and a group of about eight prospects bumping into Crosby. It was after Crosby had skated, and nobody knew quite what to say.

They settled on a basic greeting, trying to play it cool. It also warranted a natural followup: Did you refer to Sid as Mr. Crosby or Sir Crosby?

"I think someone else said hello before me," Plante said. "But had that not happened, yeah, it might have been 'Mr. Crosby.'"

Pickering, who eventually did reply to Crosby's text, can relate. After the initial fuss, Crosby has simply become a fellow member of the organization and a really good hockey player. The same as all of these guys eventually learn.

"That text was surreal," Pickering said. "But then just meeting him and seeing how welcoming he is to everybody, he makes you feel like a regular person. I think that's what makes him so special."

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